Nottinghamshire pensioners only have until the beginning of September to claim extra financial support to help with rising bills amid the cost of living crisis. More than 14,000 Notts pensioners who currently receive Pension Credit are being offered the additional help.
A share of the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF) has been allocated to councils across the country. The money has been set aside to help with the rising costs of food and energy. Nottinghamshire County Council and partners were awarded £5.6 million to provide assistance to those in immediate need of help with around one third of this money allocated for pensioners.
The county council is now writing to all those who claim Pension Credit, whether guaranteed credit or savings credit, to invite them to apply for this extra support. However, those eligible will need to apply by Tuesday, September 6, (unless a later date is specified in the letter).
READ MORE: DWP cost of living help - 30 free things you could be eligible to claim in August
A one-off payment can be claimed, of £135 for individuals or £185 for two people from the same household receiving Pension Credit.
Nottinghamshire County Councillor John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Communities said: “We’re really pleased to offer this latest round of help via the HSF to pensioners who are struggling the most, particularly due to rising costs of food and energy. This fund has already been used to help those in low-income households via free school meals and referrals by frontline workers.
“We’re working hard to distribute these letters as quickly as possible to more than 14,000 eligible pensioners or to their appointee - so please bear with us. Once you or your appointee have received the letter, please apply before the closing date on the letter to ensure you receive this support."
How to get your hands on the extra cash
Eligible pensioners living in Nottinghamshire, who are in receipt of a letter from the council, can apply in one of two ways:
• The quickest and easiest way is via an online form: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/householdsupportforpensioners
• For those unable complete the form online, the council’s customer service team on 0300 500 8080 will provide help, however waiting times are expected to be longer than normal over the coming weeks.
Councillor Cottee also added a warning to recipients to be aware of fraudsters. He said: “We are also aware that fraudsters can try to pass themselves off as Nottinghamshire County Council, so if you have any doubts when receiving this or any other letter from us, we’d encourage you to run the letter by family, friends, or someone you trust. You can feel free to ring our customer service team to check the letter is genuine.”
Those on pension credits living in Nottingham city areas will be able to apply to a similar scheme administered by Nottingham City Council, working with Age UK Notts.
This latest roll-out of funds builds on the support that the HSF has provided in food vouchers to those children entitled to free school meals during school holidays last November, in March and over the current summer holidays.
Frontline staff across the county continue to identify households most in need, where the occupants are not of pensionable age and have no children, to ensure they receive support too. Other help and support available from Nottinghamshire County Council and partners can be found on the council's dedicated webpage.
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